According to a recent issue of the IDC tracker, total spending on IT infrastructure “for deployment in cloud environments will increase by 18.9% in 2016 to reach $38.2 billion” while spending in “traditional, non-cloud, environments will decline by 4% in 2016.”

While more is still being spent on traditional, non-cloud infrastructure, it’s clear that the cloud is getting bigger than ever. The question is, what will the move to the cloud do to the security of your own company? Will your security get stronger, or weaker?

The answer depends largely on who you choose to partner with for cloud service.

“Total spending on IT infrastructure for deployment in cloud environments will increase by 18.9% in 2016 to reach $38.2 billion.”

The Difference Between Commodity Cloud and Premium Cloud Providers

There are countless cloud service providers on the market. Some providers specialize in commodity clouds, wherein specific services are treated as add on costs. Other providers could be categorized as premium cloud providers.

Premium cloud providers tend to offer more specialized services out of the box than their commodity counterparts, while commodity cloud providers typically cost less than premium cloud providers.

Different premium clouds will specialize in delivering different types of service. For example, one cloud provider might specialize in providing large capacity storage environments, while others specialize in providing secure infrastructures that have been hardened against intrusion attempts.

Choosing a Secure Cloud Partner

When looking for a secure solution for your needs on the cloud, it’s important to thoroughly vet each cloud service provider that you consider.

Security-conscious cloud service providers such as WHOA.com employ multi-layered security for their cloud environments, including:

Data-at-Rest Encryption

Perimeter and Internal Firewalls

Antivirus

IDS/IPS

Secure Tier IV Data Centers

These measures all help to improve security and compliance on the cloud by protecting your data from illicit access.

Why is full integration of security at every layer of a cloud environment important?

One reason is because cyber security threats are everywhere, as the hundreds of data breaches in the last few years can prove. The hackers behind these attacks will use any opportunity they can to breach your systems and steal your data. Using strong, multi-layered security minimizes your exposure to data breaches.

Another reason is that when these security features are available for all of a cloud service provider’s cloud environments, other tenants on a multi-tenant infrastructure are equally secure, meaning fewer points of entry for hackers. And, when an attack does originate from within another tenant’s cloud environment, there are internal protections already in place to safeguard your cloud environment.

Even as the demand for cloud services grows, it’s important to remember that not just any cloud service provider will be able to meet your needs for security and compliance. For that, you need a cloud partner that is dedicated to IT security.